


Standing By and Waiting at Your Backdoor

by Starjargon



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Best Friends, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Clint Barton Feels, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, F/M, Facepalm, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Like Bucky Barnes' heart, Male-Female Friendship, Marriage of Convenience, Minor Character Death, Oblivious Darcy Lewis, Pay Attention Darcy- Gah!, Romance, Sneaky Pepper Potts, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Unrequited Love, implied infidelity, plot device, silly bets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28842930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starjargon/pseuds/Starjargon
Summary: Darcy's best friend is always there for her. He schemes with her. He makes her laugh. He holds her when she cries. He's even there when she needs a crazy plan to save her business.She can always depend on him. She's also the only person who apparently can't see why.
Relationships: Background Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis, James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sharon Carter (mentioned), background Pepper Potts/Tony Stark - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81
Collections: Charity Hawktion 2020





	1. There She was Just a Walkin' Down the Street

**Author's Note:**

  * For [louisemu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisemu/gifts).



> This is for the amazingly patient louisemu- Thank you so much for donating to the Charity Hawktion and for all your kindness and support. 
> 
> I tried playing pool once and got banished when my friends declared I was going to destroy their precious table if I kept missing the ball as badly as I did. So... my knowledge of pool comes mostly from the internet, as does my knowledge of business liens, both of which serve only as plotty plot plot devices.
> 
> This also does focus on Darcy/Bucky for a bit, but the ultimate pairing is Darcy/Clint. And yes, the title is from the Taylor Swift Song You Belong With Me.

Bucky had been the first to speak to her, one night at Nick’s downtown.

“Hey. We’re trying to get a good game of pool going over there, and my buddy Clint thinks he can team up with anyone in here and _still_ beat me and our friend, Steve. So, in response to that challenge, I’ve offered to teach someone to play with him _just_ to prove he can’t.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow at him, looked back at her friend sitting next to her, then shrugged, getting off the stool and following him.

“Sure, I’ll learn. Pool’s that one where you hit the black ball, right?”

Bucky gave her a few of _very_ close lessons in which she learnt to aim for the _white_ cue ball and the correct way to hold the cue stick, yes, you do hit it with the smaller side, not the fatter side even though that does seem easier to aim. Her friend, Pepper, watched from the side, cheering her on and offering her own (apparently poor) advice. Finally, Bucky declared her ready. Darcy smiled excitedly at him and joined Clint’s team.

Clint grinned at her, patted her once on the shoulder, and asked her if she’d like to go first.

She clutched her cue stick tightly, aiming for the cue ball, which flew up into the air and bounced down on the table.

She offered him a grimace and an apology.

He shook his head with a lopsided smile, waving away her apology, and ignored Steve’s ribbing Bucky on his teaching skills. Bucky and Steve were stripes, and each of them were clearly _very_ good at this game. Despite his goal of… _winning_ , Clint was very vigilant about making sure Darcy had an equal number of turns as he did. Even though she accidentally _did_ pot 2 of Bucky and Steve’s balls instead of her and Clint's. She stepped back, shaking her head and telling Clint he could just keep going, but he insisted he didn’t care, and he wouldn’t hear of her forfeiting the game.

She smiled at him, looking at the opposing team, who were also trying to encourage her whilst simultaneously mocking Clint.

After the second disastrous game, she asked Clint what the stakes for his little contest was.

“Oh, it’s a bet. Best out of 5. If _they_ win, I have to quit my job and go into business for myself. If _I_ win, Steve has to go to the gym with me _before work_ for at least 6 months _and_ ask out the pretty woman from his office, and Bucky has to accept the Stark Industries job working directly for Tony Stark, who he’s **not allowed to punch**.”

“Oh, I love Tony Stark! Pepper’s thinks he’s probably a super villain in waiting, but I think he’s a genius.” Darcy clapped in excitement, shooting her friend a _look._

“Yeah, well, so does he,” Bucky murmured, rolling his eyes.

“Right?!” Pepper agreed, launching into one of her Stark-related rants yet again. “He seems as though no one has ever told him no, and all the marketing in the _world_ can’t give his shareholders enough confidence in his erratic methods to approve his _few_ non-weaponry ideas.” Steve turned to her then, obviously thrilled with finding someone else with whom to rant about Tony Stark.

Darcy let her friend spiral down that rabbit hole.

“So, what sort of business would you start?” she asked Clint.

“Security and home safety,” he answered automatically.

“And you don’t want to do that?”

“Well, I work for Cross Technologies right now, but my boss, William Cross, is a _real_ piece of work. Still. Pays the bills. Steadily. Which can’t be said for starting my own company. Plus, the other half of the bet is whoever loses has to either grow out their hair for a year or get a mohawk.”

“And what inspired you to tell two men who very obviously have a great grasp of geometry and aim to match that you’d partner with _anyone_ in here and defeat them?”

Clint took a moment, then raised an eyebrow at her and smirked slyly. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Darcy whipped her head around at him, then chuckled.

“So, Clint. We won’t even count the first game since Buck here obviously sucks at teaching pretty ladies how to shoot pool.” Steve offered, shaking his head sarcastically.

“Maybe she just needs a little more instruction, punk,” Bucky shot back, grinning at Darcy, who looked him slowly up and down before licking her lips and smiling back.

“Hmm. I wouldn’t mind that _at all_ , but Clint here says we need to win at least 3 more games, so I think we’d better get started.”

Bucky winked at her at the same time Clint caught her eye and gave her an encouraging nod and a quirk of his lips.

It was Darcy’s turn to break, and she suddenly relaxed her stance, holding the cue stick far more loosely than she had been.

“Call your shot!” she announced, before boldly shooting and pocketing 2 balls on the break.

“Solids,” she declared, aiming to shoot again.

Bucky and Steve’s eyes went wide at the change of Darcy’s whole demeanour.

Pepper came to stand by Steve, patting him on the shoulder.

“By the way,” she grinned sneakily at the two gob-smacked men, “Did we mention that Darcy’s father _owns_ Nick’s?”

After thoroughly trouncing Bucky and Steve, Darcy high-fived Clint and declared, “Don’t worry guys. I’m sure you’ll look great with long, flowing locks.”

Then she turned back to her partner in crime. “This is just my own opinion, but I still think you should go into business for yourself. You obviously have a real eye for details,” she declared, indicating the photo with Darcy, Pepper, and her father above the bar that Clint had pointed out to her earlier. Given she and Pepper had been the only two women in here at the time, and his friend’s obviously flirtatious ways, he had taken a well-calculated risk waging the bet with the stakes that he had. She was impressed at his cleverness and foresight.

Clint looked into her eyes and very seriously declared, “I think I love you.”

She threw her head back and laughed brightly, offering a handshake, which he returned enthusiastically. Then she looked back to Bucky.

“You know, Pepper has always wanted to give Tony Stark a piece of her mind, when you do have an in. And she would _never_ punch anyone.”

Bucky chuckled and gave Pepper a wink and a nod. "Noted," he agreed.

Steve was staring at the traitorous table, grumbling under his breath. He looked up a Darcy, distressed.

“I _hate_ early mornings.”


	2. He doesn't Get Your Humour Like I do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He remains unnamed, but it's up to you if Darcy's father is Fury or not.

After that night, Bucky and Darcy started dating steadily.

Steve grumbled at Clint every morning they worked out, but his asthma was slowly improving, and his immune system seemed to be strengthening because he hadn’t gotten _really_ sick in months. It _probably_ also helped that after Peggy, the "pretty woman at work," agreed to go out with him, she also started to work out with the two of them every morning. She also went with him to choose a _very_ stylish mohawk that did wonders for getting his unruly hair out of his face.

Pepper, who Bucky had indeed introduced to to his new boss, had not only told off Tony Stark, but had also firmly scolded a board member who believed he was in charge of R&D just because of his position. Tony was so impressed that he asked her to work for him and to keep scolding his board members and other annoying people who tried to interfere with his time. She went home frustrated more often than not, but Darcy suspected she was having the time of her life.

Clint came back by the Nick’s one day, sat at the bar and declared he’d actually quit his job. Darcy grinned proudly, offered him a high five and breakfast, and he became a regular fixture at the establishment as he slowly came up with business plans. They started to become very close, as breakfasts eventually turned into brunches then turned into dinners, and that became spending all kinds of time together to the point that Darcy now considered Clint her best friend.

He had had a long day at his office, but he’d finally hired a secretary. Kate was young but was always quick to put him in his place and was confident and smart. He barged into Darcy’s apartment, quite a common occurrence these days, and thrown himself on her sofa, groaning and informing her he was ordering a pizza.

She came out of her room in a large sweatshirt and jeans and flopped next to him on the couch, running her hands soothingly through his hair, not even questioning the invasion of her home.

“Bucky’s coming over after work, get enough for him, too.”

He ordered dinner and they watched silly slapstick films to cheer him up and now they're currently cackling at the ridiculous set up in which the Three Stooges had found themselves.

Clint glances up at his best friend, who had thrown her hair up in a ridiculous bun, is currently making silly fishy faces at him, and who had bought the entirety of is his favourite show digitally just for times like these when he’s had a long, long frustrating day that he doesn’t want to explain.

“Hey,” he pokes her side. She furrows her brow and pokes him back. He scoffs. “Just wanted to tell ya you’re my best friend and I love you, Darce.”

“Aww. I feel the same, you ridiculous dope,” she replies, ruffling his hair and rolling her eyes.

They squirmed and faux wrestled, laughing and shoving at each other for cosiest position on the couch. Now Darcy is laying across the length of the couch with her head in Clint's lap and Clint gets the corner with the perfect pillow in it. Bucky walks in, nonplussed by their antics by this point, and casually moves to the other corner of the couch and grabs Darcy’s feet, putting them in his lap and massaging them with one hand as he plates some pizza for himself with the other.

Clint has fallen asleep and is drooling and snuffling. Bucky nods over to him with a smirk, and Darcy looks up and laughs softly. The two of them draw a Groucho Marx face on him, take incriminating evidence on their phones, then Darcy covers him with a throw and they go out on a date.

She laughs when halfway through ice skating she gets a picture of Clint using his new "disguise" to play spy with Steve using his own security equipment.


	3. I'll Tell What I want, What I Really Really Want

Clint goes stag to Steve and Peggy’s wedding. Pepper invited Tony to come with her, and he seems to be on his best behaviour. For Tony Stark, at least. Darcy and Bucky dance for most of the reception until Bucky gets called away for Best Man duties. When he’s gone, Clint asks Darcy to dance. They make funny faces and laugh and do the Macarena and the YMCA to music that has nothing to do with either Macarena nor YMCA. Then the music changes again to a slow song, and Clint turns to Darcy, arms outstretched ostentatiously and eyebrow raised in question. She smiles and takes his hand, swaying in his arms and letting the music wash over them.

“So, why didn’t you bring a date to this thing?” Darcy asks the question that’d been on her mind since the invitations went out.

Clint gives her a fleeting, complicated smile, then shrugs.

“Couldn’t find anyone I wanted to bring,” he answers easily.

“Really? No one could catch the eye of the elusive Clint Barton?”

“I’d hardly call myself elusive.” He rolls his eyes.

“In the year and a half that I’ve known you, you’ve only been on 3 dates, each with different women.”

“How do you know it’s only three? I _could_ be elusive and have a whole other secret life where I’m in a hardcore serious relationship with a wife and 2.5 kids.”

Darcy snorts at that.

“Please. You told me the truth about falling off the sidewalk and breaking your arm even though everyone else still thinks it was a motorcycle accident. You _really_ expect me to believe you wouldn’t tell me if you had serious feelings about someone?”

He looks down at that, the expression on his face closed for once- a rare occurrence around her.

“No, I suppose not.”

“See! I _know_ you Clint. You always tell me everything because _I’m your best friend._ “

“-And I love you. I know, I know. It’s true, ya know,” he insists, gazing into her eyes seriously.

She nods, caught up in her train of thought now.

“I know, and I feel the same. Which is _why_ I can’t stand the thought of you all alone. So. Starting next week, I’m fixing you up with blind dates.”

“Wait. What?!” he asks gruffly.

“Yup. You, Clint Barton, are going to meet someone wonderful who sees you for the romantic, sweet, hilarious man you are and snatch you right up.”

“Darce, that’s not-“

“Do not want to find someone to spend the rest of your life with?” she challenges.

“Of course I do, but-“

“So, the first step is to find someone. Then we’ll work on the whole, "for the rest of your life thing.'”

He stares at her, blinking uncomprehendingly, before giving his head a hard shake.

“You really are something, you know that?” he asks.

“Well, I want you happy, Clint. You know how important that is to me.” She smiles at him, and he bends down and gives her a small, lingering kiss on her forehead.

“I know, Darcy. I know. Thank you.”

He steps back as Bucky approaches, giving the couple one last smile before he walks away to his table. Darcy stares after him a moment, then laughs as Bucky twirls her, completely missing the thoughtful look in her boyfriend’s eyes.


	4. You Say You're Fine I know You Better Than That

Darcy had dated Bucky for over a year, but one day he came over to her house, gave her a doleful look, clasped her hands in both of his, and broke up with her.

“Darcy,” he tried to clarify when she pulled away from him, angrily. “Please. This isn’t- _Look._ I thought I could do it, that it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I can’t just pretend we’ll be happy together when… our feelings for each other are so different. It’s not fair, to anyone involved, to stay in this relationship.” That caught her attention, and she stared at him with wet, puffy eyes.

“Is… there someone else?” she asked in a small voice.

Bucky looked at her with a long, heartbroken expression.

“I think we both know the answer to that question, Darce.”

Her breath started to hitch, and she turned away as he placed a light kiss on her cheek.

“I really do hope you get your happily ever after, Darcy,” he murmured as he walked out the door.

She grabbed her wallet and keys, storming out the door and walking purposefully down the street. She called Pepper, who was out of town but listened as she let her confusion and heartache pour into the phone. Pepper was attentive, then she became eerily silent before answering.

“He _does_ care about you, Darcy. Maybe more than you realise. Perhaps this is for the best.”

“He cares about me then cheats on me?” she argued petulantly.

“Darcy… oh, my oblivious friend. Did he say he cheated?” Pepper asked, not elaborating her statement.

“He said there was someone else!” Darcy shrieked, breaking down again.

“Hmm,” Pepper replied, silent in thought again. Then, she sighed, sympathy in every word she spoke. “I think… I think someday, Bucky might expl- I _do_ think he loved you, Darcy. In his own way. He’s never been one to be cruel.”

“Except now,” she muttered, beside herself as she stomped petulantly past some tourists.

“Yeah. Except maybe now,” Pepper whispered in agreement. Then she cleared her throat. “Look, I can’t get back for a few more days, and you shouldn’t be alone. Please promise me you’ll stay with someone tonight. _Please._ ”

Darcy’s breath heaved in and out and she nodded, before remembering she was on the phone and murmuring, “I promise.”

Pepper stayed on the call a moment longer, just being in solidarity with her friend.

“And… let me know where you end up tonight, Darce. To- Just let me know you’re safe.”

“I will, Pepper. Love you.”

“Love you, too, Darcy. You’ll get through this. I promise.”

Darcy couldn’t think, and her thoughts started to spiral. She hurried on until she finally reached the only place she'd thought of going.

Clint opened the door, took one look at her face, and pulled her into his arms, holding her solidly as she fell apart. He laid kisses on top of her head, whispering reassurances as he rubbed her back.

Without realising it, she found herself bundled in a large blanket on his sofa, cup of hot chocolate in her hands and a box of tissues beside her. Clint was sat next to her pressing play on Notting Hill.

“You hate this movie,” she sniffled.

“But it’s your favourite,” he reminded with a shrug, putting an arm around her as she burrowed into his side.

When the film ended, he looked at her puffy, tear-stained face.

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked.

“No,” she squeaked out.

He nodded and clicked on You’ve Got Mail.

When Tom Hanks is sarcastically spelling out “F-O-X,” Darcy stares hard at the screen and says, “Bucky broke up with me.”

Clint looks down at her, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her arm as he whispers, "Why would he do an asinine thing like that?”

She clutched the blanket tighter around herself, nuzzling further into his side.

“He- he said there’s someone else,” she admitted in a small voice.

“Oh, Darcy,” Clint breathed, hugging her close to his chest and rocking her gently. “Well, if that’s the case, then Bucky doesn’t deserve you,” he encourages, laying another kiss on her head as they turn back to the television.

“ _Idiot_ ,” Darcy heard him mutter as she wrapped one arm around Clint’s middle. He continued to hold her and watch every one of her favourite films all night long.


	5. I'd Catch a Grenade For You...

One night, Clint gets the frantic phone call that Darcy’s dad had died.

When he opens the door, Darcy is in a daze, pacing and confused and babbling incoherently.

“We knew he was sick, but he now he’s just _gone._ He’s just _gone, Clint!_ ”

He watches her walk back and forth silently, opening his arms when she finally starts to process what had happened. Once again, he holds her together as she starts to fall apart.

He’d called Pepper over as soon as Darcy had hung up, and she had shown up with Tony in tow.

Pepper and Darcy took turns crying and hugging, and Tony and Clint spent the night letting the two women grieve, offering comfort however they needed.

Pepper finally collapsed on top of Tony, and Darcy once more fell asleep in Clint’s arms.

* * *

Clint makes her laugh the first time after her father dies and reassures her she’s allowed to smile again without it being a betrayal to his memory.

Steve and Peggy come to the funeral, as do Bucky and… a beautiful blonde holding his hand, their fingers interwoven.

Clint keeps close to her as she greets all the guests, squeezing her arm in support when Bucky comes up.

Darcy can’t even open her mouth, her feelings overwhelming.

“Thank you so much for coming, Bucky,” Pepper, who has also been beside her through everything, offers.

“Bucky.” Clint nods at his friend. “Sharon,” he continues, a slight furrow to his brow before he schools his expression and looks at his friend again, weaving an arm around Darcy’s waist in support.

“You- you look good, Darcy,” Bucky continues, focus on Clint’s arm, before shaking his head and offering his sympathies. “I- I’m really sorry about your dad,” he finally gets out, and he looks so mournful it loosens something inside her.

“Thank you. He always really liked you, Bucky,” Darcy rasps.

“Yeah. He was a good man. A really, _really_ good man.” He stares at Darcy, then gives her a nod and moves on down the line.

Darcy can’t help but look fixedly after him and his beautiful… _Sharon_ , but she manages to tamp down any rising emotion the sight brings and focuses on her dad.

Later, she sees Clint pull Bucky aside, the two of them in what seems like a heated conversation. Then, she sees Clint’s shoulders slump, and he meets her eyes briefly before turning back to Bucky and shaking his head mournfully. At first, Darcy thinks that even despite their surroundings they’re going to cause a scene, but then she sees Bucky put a sympathetic hand on Clint’s shoulder, and Clint school his face once more, reaching out to return the gesture. Both men smile at one another, but before Darcy can even _begin_ to try and figure out what just happened, Steve has come up to her.

“Darcy,” he says, reaching up to hug her tightly, “I know- I remember how it felt when Ma- I’m here, if you need to talk,” he finally settles on. She gives him a watery smile and thanks him. Peggy holds her for a long moment, giving Darcy one of her famous comforting hugs, then reaches for the blonde- for Bucky’s _date._

“This is my sister, Sharon. She moved back to town a few months ago.”

Sharon’s smile is small and appropriate, and her kind eyes do nothing to alleviate the jealousy that threatens to overwhelm Darcy.

“Nice to meet you, Sharon,” she grits out, before Pepper comes over suddenly, asking Darcy a question in an obvious ploy to save her.

* * *

Darcy gets called to her father’s lawyer’s office a few weeks later. When she leaves, she drives straight to Clint’s apartment, where she knocks frantically.

Kate opens the door, takes one look at Darcy’s face, and yells for Clint.

Darcy is in her freak-out mode once more, pushing past Clint and going straight for his kitchen. She vaguely hears Clint tell Kate she can go home for the day. Clint offers her a water, which she takes absently, and he watches as she paces back and forth. He sits in a chair nursing his own water and just waits her out.

“So, you know how Dad had been doing renovations on Nick’s all year?” Darcy asks him, trying to order her thoughts.

Clint nods. “Yeah. New pool tables, updated kitchen. Updated bar. What about it?”

“Well, apparently, he never finished paying off the contracting company, and they’ve put a lien on the restaurant.” She gulps, then chatters on quickly, making Clint’s head spin as he tried to keep up. “And now, because there’s an exorbitant amount owed on the business, Jennifer- she’s my dad’s lawyer, Jennifer Walters,- says I’ll likely have to sell it to pay back all debts.”

Clint's eyes go wide, and he crosses his arms, thinking, and angry on her behalf.

“Well, is there anything you can do?”

“No. I asked if there was any way to fight this. She said she’d tried to negotiate with the contractors, but since I’m now the sole owner of the business and I’ve _never_ run the business on my own _and_ have no knowledge of how to run one, they couldn’t be sure they’d get their money back if they gave me an extension.” She shrugs, on the verge of tears. “I don’t think I have a choice, Clint. I can’t believe I’m going to lose Nicks.”

Clint stares at her, his mind racing a million miles a minute as he tries to think of ways to fix this. Nick’s- it meant so much to all their friends. To their neighbourhood. To _Darcy._ And to think it might be sold because of a technicality- Clint couldn’t let that happen. He refused.

“I don’t mind the my own job,” Darcy sighs out, finally taking a seat across from him. “I really don’t. I only started helping out there because Dad got sick, but I made my own way for so long, I know I’ll be all right. But the employees. If I can’t figure out a way- If I can’t _fix_ this, somehow, they _all_ lose their jobs. Natasha and Thor are having another baby. Peter’s uncle has taken a turn for the worse and he’s trying to keep up their family bills on his own. Sam and Maria just moved into their first house. I- these people are my _family._ And because Dad decided to start pointless renovations, I’m going to lose them. I can’t- the thought of it- it’s too much.”

Suddenly, Clint’s face lit up, and his eyes widened as he realised the perfect solution..

“Marry me.”

“What?” Darcy chokes out, utterly thrown off at the words that had just left his mouth.

“Marry me,” he repeats, his voice more confident now.

“ _Clint_ -“

“I’m _serious_ , Darcy. This is a _real_ proposal. You’re my best friend and I love you, and I’m asking you to marry me.” He gets down on one knee and grabs her hand.

“I don’t understand,” she argues, staring at him as though he’d lost his mind. To be fair, he probably had, but he couldn't see her this distraught and do _nothing._

“If we get married, we what we have becomes marital property, right?”

She nods her head slowly, still confused.

“So, _I_ , a fairly successful business owner who will _also_ be on hand to teach you, will be co-owner of Nick’s. Surely Jennifer could renegotiate if you can prove you can keep up the payments, right?”

Darcy’s mouth is unattractively hung open, still in disbelief over Clint’s proposal. She hadn’t pulled her hand away from his, but she could do nothing but stare at this ridiculous best friend of hers. Still. Doing this would _destroy_ any future he had ever dreamt for himself with a woman.

“Clint, you’re _really_ going to spend the rest of your life with me, just to save my business?”

Clint looked up at her and took a deep breath, staring into her eyes with a seriousness he rarely possessed.

“I’m sincerely, confidently asking you to marry me. Unless that’s not something you can- if you _really_ don’t want to, I’m sure we can figure something else out.”

“No- no, just Clint. I… you’re _sure_?” she stared at him with eager, hopeful eyes. She couldn’t see any doubt in his, but she had to know.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything else," he promises.

She smiles, throwing herself into his arms.

“Thank you, Clint. You don’t know how much this means to me, that you’re willing to- yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. And you-anything you want, anything you need from me, just name it and it’s yours. Oh, I love you for this.”

She squeezed him tightly around the neck, so utterly charmed and grateful for him in her life.

“Good,” she loosened her arms, which seemed to be strangling him, if the catch in his throat is anything to go by. “That’s… that’s good.”


	6. The Lady doth Protest Too Much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of a cheesy song lyric that fit the title better than a Shakespeare quote, so...

They are married in a simple, beautiful ceremony in Steve and Peggy’s large back yard. All their friends are there, and Thor, who started working at Nick’s when Darcy was just a teen, gives her away. Clint smiles widely when she takes his hands, and even the small, slightly hesitant kiss at the end isn’t as awkward as she’d anticipated.

They dance the night away and drive back in the early morning to Darcy’s apartment, where she and Clint have agreed to live.

Not much changes between them after that, except that Darcy stops setting Clint up on blind dates.

Which was just as well, because he’d had horrible luck with it.

First there’d been Wanda. A nice girl, but when her deranged father came up to them when they’d been taking a walk after dinner, outlining his plan for minority supremacy, followed by her brother, who got so close to Clint he could count his nose hairs, Clint had called it a night and immediately begged Darcy never to do that to him again. But she’d begged him a second time, and he was helpless to do anything but agree.

Laura was… pretty. And one of the most terrifying women Clint had ever met- especially when she pulled twin knives out of her boots, which he’d quickly confiscated, only to pull out two more from each sleeve. _Her father_ also found them after dinner, and Clint realised where Laura got her love of knives, if the multiple ones that kept appearing in the man’s hands had been any indication.

He’d made Darcy watch every Abbott and Costello film with him after that.

Jan had been cute, but spent the entire night talking about her boss, Hank.

Alison spent the evening going on and on about her budding singing career.

Jean had a very odd and unhealthy obsession with… a man who happened to be Laura’s father.

Emma had tastes too rich for his blood.

Ororo had aspirations of teaching underprivileged children in various countries, not that Clint objected, but he also had no desire to move his life nor pursue a relationship that wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Helen was great but was more interested in medical research than dating.

And then, after the humiliating last disaster that was Abigail, a terrifying Commander who apparently already had a beast of a boyfriend, he’d finally begged Darcy to please, please not set him up again. She’d just broken up with Bucky and was selfishly glad to have more of Clint’s time, so she acquiesced.

Between learning the business side of the restaurant and Clint’s own business expanding, both of them remain quite busy their first month of marriage, until Clint stops her on her way out the door to a meeting with vendors and simply says, “I miss ya, Darcy. You’re my best friend and I love you, and… I never even get to see you anymore.”

She huffs out a laugh and agrees with him. Thor, who was the night manager, was also learning bartending, as his wife Natasha, one of the best bartenders Darcy had ever seen, was 7 months pregnant. She knew he had no interest in working days once the new baby came, so she puts out an ad for a new day manager.

Which becomes _very_ awkward when Sharon Carter puts in her application. Darcy is torn, because Sharon is so qualified, and funny, and… stole her boyfriend. She grunts as she faceplants on the sofa that night.

“ _Cliiiiinnnttt!_ ” she groans. “What do I _do?_ She’s perfect, and qualified, and competent, and I hate her.”

Clint, the traitorous husband he is, chuckles at her dramatics.

“Well, she doesn’t have the job yet, you _could_ just not hire her.”

“Ugh, but she’d do a great job, and I wouldn’t have to work all hours of every day, and I’d actually get to see you and have a life and stuff.”

Clint pats her head sympathetically.

“Well, invite her out with you and Pepper, _before_ you make any job offers, and see if you can handle being around her. If you can, then go ahead and hire her. If you can’t… Pepper knows how to cut an evening short.”

Darcy sits up suddenly, throwing her arms around Clint and kissing him on the cheek.

“See, it’s ideas like that that make me happy I married you. Keep ‘em coming, Barton.”

Clint clears his throat, surprise on his face, and indicates the television.

“Doc Martin binge?”

“Sure,” she agrees, nuzzling into his side. He seems tense until she tries ruffle him like a pillow, then he laughs and slouches down into the couch, and she throws her arm around his middle, settling comfortably. She feels the tentative weight of his hand on her shoulder, and she relaxes as they both watch the show.

* * *

Pepper invited Peggy along when they go out with Sharon, and together the sisters were a force to be reckoned with. Darcy had never laughed so hard in her _life_ and decided to bury any bad blood between her and Sharon, if only so she could hear the “three hats and a flamingo” story.

“So,” Peggy finally asks her wheezily, “what’s going on with you and Clint?”

Darcy’s thrown off by the question, and she gives her a bemused smile.

“Well, we’re best friends, we love each other, and we’re married now. Why?” she asks.

“But, are you two still going to deny you’re _in love_ with each other?”

Darcy spits out the drink in her mouth.

“ _Clint. And. Me. In. Love?!_ No. NOOO. NO. We’re just friends. He’s my best friend. Besides you, Pep. You know I love you, too.”

Pepper gives her a nod, her lip quirking up even as she quickly shifts her attention to the other two women.

“Wait,” Sharon holds up a hand. “Do you _really_ not know?”

“What are you _talking_ about?!” Darcy demands, eyes darting between the two sceptical sisters, really confused now.

“Clint looks at you as though you hung the stars, and you _really_ think you two are just friends?”

Darcy scoffs, completely missing Pepper’s shrewd expression.

“Clint is my _best friend_. I told you. We care about each other. We _love_ each other. But we’re not _in love._ That’s ridiculous,” she explains calmly. Honestly. Two people can’t just be married and be each other’s favourite people in the world but be completely platonic anymore. It was sad, really. “Besides, I used to set him up on blind dates, until that last one went wrong. He’s a great guy, I want to see him happy. But we just got married so he could help me out. _Really_. There’s nothing else between us but business.”

“So then what was the deal with you and Bucky?” Peggy asks. Darcy’s good mood evaporates quickly.

“Well, Peggy, I think your sister would be able to answer _that_ question better than me,” she replies darkly.

Sharon’s face clouds with confusion, but Pepper interrupts whatever she is about to say.

“Well, I don’t know about you girls, but I don’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun. I’ve got work in the morning, however, so it’s about time we wrap things up.”

Darcy grumbles a bit, then shakes her head, standing with her friend. She gets her coat on, then turns to Sharon.

“I have some papers for you to sign tomorrow, if you’re still interested in that job.”

“Really?!” Sharon looks up hopefully.

Darcy bites her lip, rocking back and forth a bit before finally nodding her head decisively.

“Really. You’re smart and good with people and I think you’ll be an excellent addition to our team.”

Sharon jumps up and hugs her, and her smile is so wide and contagious Darcy _almost_ forgets how furious she is.

* * *

When she passes his room, she sees Clint has fallen asleep fully clothed on top of his covers again, the dope. She smiles fondly, and goes and takes off his shoes, pulling the quilt on the end of the bed over him.

He snuffles, burrowing into his pillow and murmuring a sleepy, “'s friend. Love you, Darcy”

“Same,” she replies, ruffling his hair before she turns to go to her own room. “See, he’s just my friend. Nothing romantic at all.” Peggy and Sharon are just dramatic, she thinks as she turns out the lights, completely missing the way Clint is reaching for out someone who’s not there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those curious about the (mostly X-Men) women with whom Darcy sets up Clint, they are in order:  
> Scarlett Witch/Wanda Maximoff (with her terrifying father Magneto and mischievous brother Quicksilver)
> 
> X-23/Laura Kinney (with her father Wolverine)
> 
> Wasp/Janet van Dyne
> 
> Dazzler/Alison Blaire 
> 
> Marvel Girl/Jean Grey
> 
> White Queen/Emma Frost 
> 
> Storm/Ororo Munroe
> 
> Dr. Helen Cho
> 
> Abigail Brand (who often is dating Hank McCoy)


	7. You, Doin' that Thing You Do...

“Hey, so I feel bad about Peggy and all the awkward questions that one night,” Sharon tells her a couple of months later. “But I come with a peace offering.” She smiles, holding out two cards to Darcy.

“What’s this?” she asks.

“Well, you said you’d stopped setting Clint up because the date went wrong. Now, I’m _not_ saying you have to use these, but this top one is the phone number of a girlfriend of mine. She’s gorgeous, she’s sassy, she’s determined and funny, and scary smart, and honestly, I kinda want to be her. Anyway, if you think Clint’s still looking for “the one,” I think she’d be perfect. That other one is… well, for you. Peter Quill. Sweet. Handsome. Hilarious. You can’t always tell if he’s an idiot or a genius, but he’s a nice guy. I think you two would really hit it off, if you wanted.”

Darcy looks at the cards, confusion wrinkling her brow.

“But- we’re not in love, but Clint and I _are_ married _._ ” Darcy explains earnestly.

“Oh, didn’t Pepper find you yet? Jennifer phoned while you were out and she took the call. She said that given how faithful we’ve been with the payments and the fact we’ve been paying extra each month, _and_ that Clint has backed consistently backed leadership and shown you are the _true_ owner of this restaurant and not just the face, they’ve made a deal to withdraw their lien, provided we keep the payments up.”

She finally found the notepad Pepper had left and handed it to Darcy, who read it over in disbelief.

“So, you can date whoever you want without worrying. You and Clint don’t have to stay married anymore!” Sharon's smiling widely, and shakes her head with a soft chuckle when Darcy nods absently, walking to the back trying to understand what's just happened.

She calls Jennifer to work out the details.

Then, she calls Pepper to celebrate the lien being removed.

Then she calls Clint, but the phone goes to voicemail. He’d had a meeting with a very important client today, so that’s not unexpected.

She has nervous energy running through her, so she closes her eyes and tries to take deep breaths. Now she can repay Clint and give him the chance to find someone he _really_ wants to spend the rest of his life with. _She_ has the chance to fall in love, not that'd she'd given something like that any thought after Bucky. Suddenly, she remembers the cards Sharon had given her.

She pulls them out, then dials.

“Peter? Hey, my name’s Darcy Bart- Darcy Lewis. Sharon Carter gave me your number…”

* * *

“Guess what?” she asks Clint the second he walks into the apartment late that night.

She explains about the lein, and how she'd spent half the day at Jennifer's office, working out details and contracts. He’s radiant, smiling so brightly for her. Finally, he grabs her and gives her a big, tight hug.

“Ha! I knew you could do it!” he tells her, squeezing only a little too hard.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” she confesses sincerely. “Which is why… I have a surprise for you.,”

“What?” he asks with a wide smile, accepting the envelope she hands him.

“Annulment papers!” she cheers. Clint drops the envelope to the floor at though it had burnt him, his eyes wide and panicked.

“ _What?!_ ” he bites out quietly.

“Well, we don’t have to be married anymore. You can find someone you love. Not stay stuck with me.”

“Darcy, I’m not stuck- You’re my best friend. I love you.”

“I _know_ , Clint. And I’ll always be your best friend. But now, you can be my friend who gets to date whoever he wants! Which brings me to my next surprise.”

“No,” he pleads, his eyes wide as he shakes his head, hand out.

“Yes!” she squeals, offering him a card with a name and a phone number on it. “Her name is Bobbi Morse, and she’s charming and witty and _hot._ Seriously, Clint, if you don’t date her, I might be tempted to give her a call. You’re going out with her on Friday.”

“Darcy, I don’t want-“

“Don’t want what Clint? I want you to have someone to spend the rest of you life with. She could potentially be that person. And don’t worry, this one’s on me. To say thank you for everything you’ve done. Truly Clint. I… don’t know what I would do without you. I can’t really repay you except to say, sign these papers, and it’ll be just like we were never married at all,” she claps her hands proudly, her smile wide as she offers Clint his freedom.

Which is why she can’t understand the unbelievably sad look on his face.

“Clint?”

He stares at her, speechless, for a long moment. Then he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, looking down at the envelope as he picks it up off the floor, staring at it like it's a coiled snake.

“That’s- that’s great Darcy. Thanks. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna take these to my lawyer to have a look at them," he explains in a dejected tone.

“Sure, sure. No rush. Take your time. Not like either of us has to go anywhere, unless you plan on getting your old place back. But I don't mind being roomies with you. Although, I _will_ miss calling ya husband when I come home.”

“Yeah,” Clint mutters, still in a daze. “Yeah. Me too. Listen, Darce. I’m really, _really_ proud of you. But it’s been a very long day and all I want to do is pass out.”

“Oh.” she exhales, her celebration plans cut short. “Right. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Clint doesn't face her as he announces, “Actually, I have late clients all this week. Maybe I can cancel that date and we can hang out then.”

“No, you are _not_ cancelling that date, Clint. You haven’t gone out with anyone in almost a _year._ ” She rolls her eyes. “Besides, I have a date that night, too.”

Clint must be more tired than he’s let on, because he walks into his doorframe, hard.

“Oh, that’s- Okay. I guess I’ll catch you later then, Darce. Have fun on your date,” he murmurs, and for the first time since she can remember, he closes a door between them.


	8. Tearing Up My Heart and Soul

Darcy hasn’t seen Clint all week, and it’s made her grumpy and tense.

She’d snapped at Parker for breaking a few cups, told Thor he needed to speed up the with the drinks, and called Tony just to yell at him that he needed to propose to Pepper already and stop being an idiot.

She also hadn’t slept well, tossing on the couch as she tried to watch ridiculous old slapsticks or dry comedies alone. Even rom-coms had betrayed her, and she gave up early each night and went to bed, restless and fidgety all night.

Friday came around, and she went out with Peter.

He seemed everything Sharon claimed he was and more. He took her bowling, and she told him she loved bowling. She and her friend Clint Barton had gone once and he’d slipped into the lane, still managing to make a strike, which she maintained didn’t count since he went past the line.

They went to dinner next at an Indian restaurant, and Darcy looked at the menu and laughed, explaining to Peter that she hadn’t had Indian in a couple of years because they'd found out the hard way that her friend Clint was allergic to curry. She told him how he’d gone into anaphylactic shock and when he’d finally been released from the hospital he was loopy and almost forgot to change his clothes.

Peter smiled indulgently and asked if she wanted to get a coffee. They were walking in the direction of the nearest café when Darcy pulls him across the street to a different one, “Oh, we don’t go to that one, Clint says-“ she cut herself off suddenly, abruptly, and overwhelmingly realising something she should have realised a long, long time ago.

“Aaand, _t_ _here_ it is,” Peter exclaimed, pointing to her face with an amused expression on his own.

She stared at him in confusion.

He gave her a small, encouraging smile.

“You know, they say the first thing you think about in the morning is the thing most important to you. I have a feeling you probably think about a _person_ first thing every morning. And I’m willing to bet, because of this particular person, _I’m_ probably not the one you should be out here with.”

She tried to process everything she’d just recognised, her breath speeding up in her chest.

“Peter, you’re a really, really great guy,” she tried to explain.

He smiled. “Yeah. But I’m not _Clint_ ,” he finished gently. He reached for her hand, which he shook genially, clasping it in both of his.

“It was nice to meet you, Darcy Lewis."

And with that he turned and walked away.

Darcy’s mind raced, and she called a taxi, blurting out the correct address before she lost her nerve.

* * *

He is more than shocked when he answers his door. But he waves her inside where she starts to pace, her jumbled thoughts spilling out of her mouth all at once.

“Bucky, I know this is strange, but I need your advice. I know you broke up with me so you could date Sharon, and she’s great, but-“

“I didn’t,” he cuts her off quickly, his tone harsh and firm.

“What?” That caught her off guard enough that she stopped pacing and turned to stare at him.

“I barely even _knew_ Sharon when we broke up.”

More of Darcy’s world falls apart, and she looks around as though answers will magically appear. She gives him a befuddled look.

“Then what-“

Bucky sits down heavily on his couch, tugging on his still-long hair before sighing deeply. “I broke up with you because you’re _in love_ with Clint. You've always been in love with him.”

She backs away, shaking her head automatically.

“No, I wasn't. I'm not-”

Bucky gives her a sad, miserable half-smile. The same smile he’d given her all those months ago when he broke her heart. When… he finally realised she would keep breaking his.

“Yes, Darce, you are. And he’s in love with you. I couldn’t just keep pretending I didn’t see it.”

“But, I don’t- I _can’t be-_ “

“Where did you go?” Bucky interrupts her gently.

“Huh?”

“When we broke up, where was the _first_ place you went?”

“Well, to Clint’s, but only because-“

“And when your dad died?”

“Clint's, I guess, just to-“

“And when you have a really good day and just need to share it with someone?” he continued, the pain in his eyes belying his small, triumphant attempt at a grin. “When you have a bad day and need someone around? When you just want to _be_? Nearly anytime I needed to find you, I knew I just had to find him. He’s your person, Darcy, and it wasn’t fair to _me_ to keep trying to be someone I’m just… _not_ to you.”

“I-“ she opens her mouth. Sees how much it must have hurt him and for how long she must have caused this amazing, broken man pain, even without realising it. “ _Is there someone else?”_ she had asked. _“I think we both know the answer to that.”_ Bucky had always had to be her Someone Else instead of her Someone, because that position had been filled the moment Clint had leaned in and whispered, “I figured my odds were good he’d try to pick the ridiculously beautiful woman he hasn’t realised owns this place,” on the night they first met.

She sighs, full of shame and regret, and looks up to see him with his arms spread out to her.

She squeezes Bucky tightly, finally letting everything they once had go.

“I’m _really_ sorry I hurt you,” she apologises into his chest.

“Yeah. Me too.” He murmurs. “Though, now I get the feeling you didn’t know.”

She barks a laugh, pulling away from him, both of their eyes shiny with tears.

“You make sure Sharon treats you right, Bucky Barnes. No more of his waiting and hoping nonsense. If she doesn't see you, you make sure she does.”

He smirks at her, and it’s _almost_ his real, cocky smirk. He gives her a small wink. “Yes ma’am.”


	9. You Shake my Nerves and You Rattle My Brain

“Pepper! I gave him annulment papers,” Darcy groans, stomping through the room before dropping and pouting on the floor of Tony Stark’s penthouse.

“What?!” Pepper and Tony shout at her in unison. Darcy buries her face in her hands and moans, shaking her head in mortification.

“ _Why?!_ ” Pepper asks incredulously. “Why would you do something like that?”

“I thought he would be happy- you know, he could have a chance to find someone. Someone to spend the rest of his life with.”

“And I thought _Clint_ was an idiot for suggesting this whole "platonic marriage" thing when he’s head over heels for you,” Tony muttered.

Darcy groans again, slapping herself on the forehead.

“Oh _Pepper_ , I must have broken his heart,” Darcy realised, mentally replaying the conversation they’d had over the papers.

“Darcy,” Pepper demands seriously, sitting next to her and grabbing her hand. “Do love Clint?”

Darcy looks up at Pepper, searching her eyes.

“I do, Pepper. I love him so, so much. And I’m _in_ love with him.” Pepper smiles brightly, pulling her in for a hug.

“Good. Then you should let him know before he signs those absurd papers." She chuckles, holding her friend tightly. "And to think how _hard_ your dad and I had to work planning enough renovations to get a lien on that property.” Darcy pulls back in shock, taking in her friend’s cunning smile.

“You- _you?_ ”

“Technically me,” Tony interjects. “Then Rogers and I had to have some of the most _boring_ conversations about marital property in front of Barton to make sure the concept was good and stuck in his head. Kid’s good in a clutch, though, I’ll give him that.

Darcy huffs out a wet laugh, shaking her head at her devious friends.

Pepper brushes her hair out of her face.

“I wish your dad could have seen how all his plans paid off." She smiles a bittersweet smile. The girls share a moment, then Darcy stands and takes a fortifying breath.

"I gotta go," she declares, turning for the door.

Tony walks her out, discreetly flashing open a small ring box from his pocket, carefully hidden from Pepper’s sight.

“Shh,” he warns her with a playful twinkle in his eye. She grins and starts hurrying home.


	10. You Belong with Me...

Darcy hurries home, anxious to apologise to Clint for being the world’s biggest dope and not realising how much she was in love with him. Nor how much he was in love with her. He’d even told her at every opportunity, and she just brushed him off, every time! She could slap herself.

Therefore, given what she’s done to him and how she inadvertently broke his heart again and again, it should come as no surprise when she passes an oblivious Clint on street outside the apartment building.

Kissing Bobbi like it’s going out of style.

She stares for just a moment as all her world collapses, then tries to school her face as she’d watched poor Clint do so many times for her.

Darcy enters the apartment, resigned and sad. Bobbi really is magnificent. She and Cling will be great together. She had just started to hope- 

She wallows for a bit, her heart crumbling even more as she sees the envelope with the annulment papers sat on the table. She picks it up, her breath catching in her throat as she takes them out.

Every single line is still _completely_ blank.

She smiles, trying to compose herself, trying not to hope too hard.

 _He didn't sign_! She repeats the words to herself, over and over, praying she's not too late. She stuffs the papers into the envelope, placing it back on the table.

Her hope slowly dwindles the longer Clint and Bobbi stay outside.

Clint _finally_ comes in. Whistling and smiling as he throws himself down on their- her- their sofa.

“So apparently, your ol' husband is quite the hunk,” he proclaims proudly.

“What?” Darcy asks, confused and more than a bit broken-hearted by the statement.

“Well,” Clint explains, shrugging like it’s no big deal as he stares intently at the ceiling, “Bobbi just kissed me.” He closes his eyes, a nostalgic, fond look on his face. “And you were right, she was _everything_ a guy could dream. We had one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. And then she kissed me. Then, she asked me how I felt about her. So, I told her I think she’s amazing. Clever, with a wickedly good sense of humour. Fun. Not so secretly kind. And she seems capable of taking down nearly any man I’ve ever met.”

He chuckles, obviously impressed, while Darcy tries her best to turn her heartbroken, shaky smile into a genuine grin of support. It ends up being more of a grimace.

“And that’s _before_ I even get into her looks, which would have a blind man doing a double take.”

He sighs, then, lacing his fingers behind his head as he continues to memorise the ceiling.

“But unfortunately, I’m still waiting on an oblivious brunette who’s my best friend in the whole world, and who I'm giving another few decades on the off-chance she'll notice me before I start to get really desperate. And Bobbi deserves someone who isn’t looking at anyone but her. I’ve seen what that does to a person and it’s not right. She deserves to be… a Somebody, not a Somebody Else, to a guy, ya know? I just can’t be that guy because I’m hopelessly, foolishly in love with my wife.”

Darcy inhales sharply and just stares at him. She sees the vulnerability in his eyes and picks up the envelope with the annulment papers in them.

Though he doesn’t turn his head at all from staring at the ceiling, she knows he’s tracking her every move, his body as tense as a live wire.

After Darcy throws the envelope in the trash bin, she kneels in front of the couch, reaching for Clint’s hands.

He sits up, eagerly looking between the bin and Darcy, his gaze a mixture of hopeful and confused as he lays each of his hands in each of hers.

“Clint,” Darcy begins, squeezing his hands and pulling them to her lips before kissing each knuckle delicately. She sees his breath hitch. “You’re my best friend, _and I love you_ ,” she confesses, wondering again how she never realised what he meant every. single. time. he said those words. She looks into his watery eyes, an apprehensive smile on the edge of his mouth.

“Will you stay my husband, and spend the rest of your life with me?”

There is nothing small, or hesitant, about the kiss he gives her this time.


End file.
